Sunday, May 4, 2008

Warfare is warfare is warfare

I love reading things that leave me thinking "Well, there you go, what else is there to say?" Chuck over at Chuck for... has written such a piece on the inherent violence and destruction of war, and in particular, how much we have insulated ourselves here in America, from its realities.

Warfare is a bloody inhumane exercise and you've been insulated from that fact. There are veterans who know, they say little. If you fault them, you are a fool. To speak to the horrid realities of warfare is to relive them and they have already served you. It is not their job to educate you about the obvious that you ignore. Guns are not magical, they put a small projectile in the air at thousands of feet per second, far beyond the speed of sound, and the target is hit well before the sound of firing reaches it. The effect of that bullet depends on its caliber, speed, and what it strikes, it may inflict a fraction of an inch hole through a body or it may strike bone, shattering it and virtually exploding the surrounding flesh. Military rounds are considered humane, use of destructive bullets is banned. Humane.

The entire piece is graphic and shocking, which for me only reinforces his message. We can wrap ourselves in righteousness and the illusion of humaneness all we want, but guess what? Truth is truth is truth.And here is the rest of it.

Well, I figure your couple of dozen and my couple of dozen are a few dozen that can no longer (in case they were) run away and pretend. If they do, it's at least with the knowledge that they are choosing to do so, and are responsible for their own choices. As for not being nice, I'll take truth over nice any ol' day of the week.:)

I really havent felt like doing much of anything lately, but I did read this article, and as devastateing as it is, it was well written. I believe people should know the facts as they are without sugar coating it like the government does.

About Me

I am a non-traditional college student working on my graduate degree in Public Administration with an emphasis on nonprofit management. I am a Texas transplant, and absolutely love the Northwest. Although I do not wear rose-colored glasses to see the world around me, I very much recognize and seek out those who believe that change is possible and who want to raise the level of living for all. I believe that community and mutual respect are key for any and all progress, whether local, national, or international. I may someday run for office, and expect to be active in public service for the rest of my life.